Air show attendance dips, but fans still pleased

Firebirds Delta Team fly in close acrobatic formation Sunday for the Chicago Air & Water Show.

Firebirds Delta Team fly in close acrobatic formation Sunday for the Chicago Air & Water Show. (Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune)

Kim Geiger

The roar of active military fighter jets was notably absent from this year's Chicago Air & Water Show, but a reinforced lineup of civilian acts still drew hundreds of thousands of people to the lakefront each day.

"It's just a great way to come down to the city and enjoy a Sunday," said Noelle Hoeh, a saleswoman from Fox Lake. "It's nice to be out on the lake and the show has been great."

About 1.7 million people attended the free show between Friday and Sunday, said Mary May, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. About 2 million made it out last year, May said.

Hoeh, who was attending the show for the first time, said she was amazed by the civilian pilots.

"Seeing the coordination between them, there's a lot of precision in how they do their formations," Hoeh said.

But the absence of high-powered military jets was felt by those who attend the event every year.

"One of the things I miss most of all is the week before the show, you'd be driving and you would suddenly be (buzzed) by the Blue Angels," as they practiced for the show, said Diana Widman, a jewelry designer who lives in the Near North neighborhood. "That's how you knew it was the air show weekend."

No such flyovers occurred this week because federal budget cuts from sequestration forced the cancellation of the Air Force Thunderbirds, a precision flight team that alternates with the Navy's Blue Angels in headlining the annual event. The city booked six new acts to fill the hole, including a squadron of World War II-era planes that left tail smoke messages in the sky.

Widman still appreciated watching daredevil Sean D. Tucker turn corkscrews in his bright red biplane. Six yellow T-34 planes flown by the Lima Lima Flight Team from Naperville drew "oohs" and "aahs" from Widman and her friend Joan Schwartz.

"All of this is still wonderful," Widman said. "What I especially like is that it gives everybody a chance to be on the beach and enjoy the city."

Widman and Schwartz, along with their husbands, try to attend the event every year.

Chuck Schwartz said the military planes were always his favorite part.

"The jets were really cool," Schwartz said. "It actually made you feel patriotic."

Still, Jean Schwartz said, "I'd rather have them cut out the Blue Angels than somebody's salary."

The Blue Angels are expected to resume their appearances in 2014, according to the Navy.